Chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) processes are commonly used to planarize surfaces of insulating film and conductive film on a semiconductor substrate during semiconductor formation. Polishing of material such as silicon, silicon dioxide, tungsten, copper, aluminum, etc., is commonly accomplished using a polishing pad in combination with a suitable polishing slurry. A wafer carrier is used to hold a wafer such that the wafer faces the polishing pad as the polishing slurry is dispersed onto a surface of the wafer to be polished. The polishing pad is typically supported by a rotary and/or linear moving platen.
The polishing slurry is a liquid slurry that can penetrate various portions of the platen and/or the drive system. Thus, the polishing slurry can cause electrical and/or mechanical errors and degradation of systems disposed within and/or on the platen. Furthermore, electrical and mechanical degradation can result in failure of the CMP process, and adversely impact an end point detection function and/or a removal rate of material from the wafer.